Home is Where the Heart Lies
by Goddess of the Elements
Summary: Kyou’s life gets more complicated when a strange girl sees something she shouldn’t have. Intrigued by her mysteriousness, he sets out to discover her secrets. But when they’re both confronted with their pasts can they save each other before it’s too late?
1. The American and the Strange Orange Cat

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Fruits Basket or anything of that nature, except Aurora Jarvis

**Summary:** Aurora Jarvis just moved into town. She's an American Sweetheart with a tough life and a bright smile. Tohru and friends seem to have taken a liking to her, but Kyou doesn't know what to make of her. Aurora's mysterious actions and undeniable compassion intrigue Kyou to take a deeper look into her world and possibly open his heart. Will there be anyone to save her before it's too late, or is it too late already? Kyou/OC, very little of Yuki/Tohru. **_This story is mainly about Kyou and Aurora._**

Okay, so this is my first chapter to _Home is Where the Heart Lies_! Hurray! I'm praying that ya'll do me the favor and review! Also, if you're a **_Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha fans_**, please take a look at my now completed stories. Also, I will be posting a **_Fushigi Yuuigi story_** sometime this week. Thanks everyone!

Formation of Story:

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 1: The American and the Strange Orange Cat

Aurora Jarvis sighed, there she was at another high school filled with people she didn't know and wasn't sure she really wanted to know. She squared her shoulders confidently and walked into the building. There were so many different people and yet they all seemed to have one thing in common: they were all staring at her, the outcast. Aurora didn't understand why people didn't like her; she was fun and loud and loved to socialize. She felt like no matter how hard she tried, she could never make real friends.

Aurora walked down the long unfamiliar corridor to where she believed was the attendance office, where all the rejects and misfits were. Ms. Mikitaka, a wonderfully kind secretary, gave Aurora her new schedule and showed her to her class. Aurora felt a horrible sickening feeling in her stomach as she went to open the door. _'I could always turn around and get a job. It'd sure beat paying this crazy tuition.' _Before she could turn around and make a break for it, Ms. Mikitaka "kindly" shoved her into the classroom. The teacher gave her a strange glance and snatched the schedule from her trembling hands.

"Class, this is Aurora Jarvis. She is a new student from the United States but speaks fluent Japanese." The teacher gave her a reassuring look and pointed to a desk next to a girl with a huge smile plastered on her face. "Please take a seat, Ms. Jarvis. I'd like continue the lesson _today_." Aurora nodded, quietly made her way to the empty desk.

"Hi Aurora, my name is Tohru Honda. Welcome to Japan! What part of the United States are you from?" Tohru's smile never left her face, she seemed sincerely nice.

"Uh, I'm from New York. Hey Tohru, when is this class finished? I was so nervous this morning that I forgot to eat." Aurora gave Tohru a sheepish grin as a loud growl came from her stomach. Tohru couldn't help but burst into hysterics.

"Ms. Honda, would you like to share with the class why you think molecular compounds are so funny?" The class began snicker, causing both Aurora and Tohru's cheeks to redden with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, it was my fault. I asked her for her notes." Aurora quickly lied, glancing down at her desk. The teacher turned towards the board, as if he didn't even hear her comment, and continued with the lesson.

"It should be ending in a few minutes." Tohru whispered, noticed that there was something particularly odd about Aurora.

After listening to a lesson about molarity and some other junk, the bell finally rang. _'Time to get food!'_ Aurora thought, she gathered her things and saw two boys and two girls approaching her. The boys were very attractive. One had deep violet eyes and dark silver hair and the other actually took her breath away. His light red hair and brownish-reddish eyes intrigued her. He radiated a masculinity and defiance that overwhelmed her. She reluctantly turned her gaze to the two girls standing next to Tohru; they were both interesting and slightly intimidating. One was tall with long blonde hair and hard blue eyes, while the other was a gothic beauty.

"These are my best friends: Yuki Sohma, Kyou Sohma, Arisa Uotani, and Saki Hanajima." Tohru Honda appeared behind Aurora with an even bigger smile on her face, if that was possible. The group welcomed her, except for the boy named Kyou, and sat down to eat their lunches on Tohru and Aurora's desks.

"It's so nice to meet you all, I never expected everyone here to be so nice. If you'll excuse me for a few minutes, I have to buy lunch." Aurora stood up, walked out of the classroom, and made her down another long hallway.

As she was walking she remembered something, halting in the middle of the hallway, she remembered she had absolutely no idea where the cafeteria was. Shaking her head at her stupidity, she turned back towards her classroom to ask one of the others if they could show her where it was and ran into something hard. The next three minutes were a blur. She had heard a loud pop, saw smoke, fell to the floor, and saw an unconscious orange cat in a mess of a boy's uniform. She glanced down at the cat, not really sure about what had just occurred. Aurora heard a group of students walking down the hallway, a little voice in the back of her mind told her to pick up the cat and run. So like any other crazy person who hears voices, that was exactly what she did. She dashed around the whole building, and it was a pretty big damn building, until she found an empty classroom.

Aurora was completely out of breath as placed the uniform on a chair and the cat on the desk. She had no idea what was going on, but for some reason she wasn't scared. Something told her that this cat was special. Aurora silently watched the adorable sleeping cat, urging her to pet him. She hesitantly stretched out her fingers, and tenderly stroked his soft fur. Suddenly, she heard another loud pop and saw a puff of smoke. On the desk right in front of her, in all his glory was Kyou Sohma… NAKED and she, Aurora Jarvis, was PETTING his rock hard stomach. Her eyes were the size of saucers and she was jumping up and down in frenzied panic. She tried calming herself down, as much as she could anyway, and decided to simply wake him up. _'So much for making friends,' _she thought groaning. She closed her eyes tightly out of humiliation and poked him with his left shoe.

"Kyou… Kyou, please wake up!" He began to stir; her face flushed with embarrassment at their currently awkward situation. "KYOU, PLEASE!" At last, his drowsy eyes became aware of what was going on. He quickly sat up, glaring at Aurora while getting dressed.

"What did you see?" She opened her eyes, her face still hot with mortification. He looked ready to murder.

"I didn't see anything! I closed my eyes right away!" She knew she had gone from tomato red to magenta in a matter of seconds. He rolled his eyes and roughly grabbed her wrist.

"Did you see anything weird happen? Did anyone else?" Kyou was enraged; he couldn't believe he had let something this unforgivable happen. He looked intently at her face, her bright hazel eyes, her long dark brown hair and her full rosy lips. He was gaping at her! This was not a time to be gaping! He saw her flinch, he had been so angry with himself that he didn't notice how tight he was holding on to her. He quickly loosened his grip and realized that he wasn't in the hallway like he'd been before. _'But then this girl must have carried me and my clothes here. But why?' _

"I think I saw you turn into a cat, I didn't know what to do. You were unconscious and I wasn't sure what really happened. I heard a group of voices so I pick up you and your stuff and brought you here." Kyou stared at her; there was no disgust or malice in her eyes. She looked like she had been genuinely concerned about him. This girl, who didn't know his situation or who he was, helped him. "I'm sorry if I upset you, I didn't mean to cause you any problems."

"What you do want?" Kyou knew there had to be a catch, there was always a catch. No person did something nice to get nothing in return.

"Excuse me?" Aurora tried to pull her wrist out of Kyou's tight grip, but he only held on tighter. His anger was increasing at a steadily dangerous level.

"What do you want in return for helping me?" She giggled, Kyou's eyebrows shot up in fury. This situation was not funny. He was going to get into some serious trouble when he told Hatori what happened. "Stop laughing."

"I'm sorry, but are you serious? I don't want anything in return, but I'm glad that you're uh… _feeling better_." Aurora gave Kyou a warm smile. He couldn't believe what was happening. "Look, obviously you don't want you're secret out and I respect that. Don't worry, I won't say a word." Kyou dropped her wrist, for some strange reason he believed her. There was something about her that comforted him, and yet there was something about her that was entirely mysterious.

"I don't know why I'm doing this, but I'm going to let you go. If you tell anyone about my secret there will be consequences, horrifying consequences for both you and me. Do you understand me?" Aurora nodded her head and walked towards the door of the classroom, she paused tentatively.

"Kyou, I know I said that I didn't want anything from you, but that's not true." Her voice was just above a whisper. Kyou's anger came to life once again; he knew there was a catch, there was always a catch. "I would like to be friends with you Kyou." She quickly slid open door and walked out of the room. Kyou froze, a strange feeling passed though him. His anger had vanished and turned into shocked. He needed to keep a close eye on this Aurora girl, something about her didn't sit right with him.

I hope you like this first chapter! I'm really excited to start posting this story up. I would really appreciate it if you could please _**REVIEW**_! I would love to hear any suggestions or pointers. :-)

If anyone is interested, _**I finally completed my Yu Yu Hakusho and Inuyasha stories**_ and am going to be posting a _**Fushigi Yuuigi story this week**_ so stay in tune!

Thank you guys!!


	2. Welcome to the Saito Residence

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Fruits Basket, except for Aurora Jarvis and her sadistic uncle.

**Summary:** Aurora Jarvis just moved into town. She's an American Sweetheart with a tough life and a bright smile. Tohru and friends seem to have taken a liking to her, but Kyou doesn't know what to make of her. Aurora's mysterious actions intrigue Kyou to take a deeper look into her world and possibly open his heart. Will he be in time to save her or will it already have been too late? Kyou/OC, **really little of Yuki/Tohru.**

Okay, so this is my second chapter to _Home is Where the Heart Lies_! Hurray! I'm praying that all you darling readers do me the favor and _**REVIEW**_! The third chapter will be out soon. Also, if you're a **_Yu Yu Hakusho fan or an Inuyasha fan_**, please take a look at my now completed stories. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to review and tell me them. Thanks everyone!

Formation of the Story:

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 2: Welcome to the Saito Residence

The Saito household was dark, the atmosphere gloomy. Aurora dreaded coming home from school; she knew what would happen when she did. She didn't know who she could tell or what they would do. The only thing she was sure of was that she was not going to move again. A few weeks ago, when she had met Tohru and the others she was so nervous that they wouldn't like her. Now, she was getting to know them and really felt a close connection to them. Well, all of them with the exception of the one person who she really wanted to get to know. For once in her life she felt like she belonged somewhere and she wasn't going to give it up that easily.

"Aurora, where are you? I swear you are the most impertinent girl I have ever seen!" Seiji Saito slurred, throwing his now empty sake bottle down the stairs.

"Coming, Uncle!" Aurora ran up the stairs, being careful not to step on the broken shards, and kneeled by his bedroom door.

"I don't know why your mother sent you to me. Honestly, my brother was so stupid marrying such trash. You know why he died? Because she poisoned him, she slowly drained him of his strength and money." Aurora kept her gaze on the worn wooden floor; she missed her mother terribly at times like these. "Are you listening to me?"

Seiji grabbed Aurora by the hair and slammed her face into the floor. Her scalped burned, the glass shards slowly embedding themselves into her face. Her uncle kicked and punched her while he laughed. He enjoyed seeing others suffer the way he had. Dark bruises began to form on Aurora's body and her blood was smudged on the floor. He knew then that he needed to stop. After all, if she was unconscious who was going to make him dinner? He pulled her up by her hair and shoved her down the stairs.

"I want dinner in twenty minutes, so make sure it's not late. Don't forget to clean all this shit up." He walked back into his room, roughly sliding the door closed. Aurora picked herself from the floor and silently started dinner. She cleaned the blood and shards from the floor and stairs, ignoring the stinging she felt from the glass in her soft flesh. She carefully began removing the shards from around the side of her face. Her face had minor cuts, but her neck and arms were horribly bruised. How was she going to hide this in school tomorrow?

… …

"Tohru, that was better than ever! How did you become such a great cook?" Shigure Sohma asked, rubbing his full belly in pure delight.

"Oh, I'm not great, really! You all are so great." Tohru happily cleared the table. She hummed a cheerful childhood song her mother used to sing to her, while starting the dishwashing process. "School has been so interesting lately. I never thought we would get an American transfer, especially one as wonderful as Aurora!" Tohru scrubbed a dish and handed it to Yuki to dry.

"You and your friends seem to like her very much. It's nice to see you all together. She looked a little lonely on her first day." Yuki grinned, continuing to dry dishes. His hand brushed hers, Tohru blushed and a small grin spread on Yuki's face. "I'm glad you are friends with her."

"Me too, I have a feeling that she's going to be a good friend to all of us." Tohru went back to humming and smiled when she heard Yuki join her.

… …

Kyou was too busy on the roof, thinking about everything that had happened to him in the last couple of weeks, to be hungry. He was torn between telling Hatori what happened at school or letting this Aurora girl continue to keep his secret. It would be so simple to just erase her memories, but something told him that she could be trusted. It perplexed him, how she actually took it upon herself to help him with no questions asked. She could have left him in the middle of the hallway or in an empty classroom alone, but she didn't. She had stayed with him throughout everything. When he turned into a human again, she didn't ask him about the curse, all she asked was for his friendship in return. _'But why?' _His head throbbed with frustration and out of nowhere sleep overtook him.

... ... ...

I hope you like the second chapter! I'm really excited to start posting this story up. I would really appreciate it if you could please _**REVIEW**_! I would love to hear any suggestions or pointers. :-)

If anyone is interested, _**I finally completed my Yu Yu Hakusho story**_ and am going to be posting a _**Fushigi Yuuigi story this week**_ so stay in tune!

Thank you guys!!


	3. Chapter 3: Brain Damage

Chapter 3: Brain Damage

Disclaimer: I sadly do not own Fruits Basket, except for Aurora Jarvis and her sadistic uncle.

**Summary:** Aurora Jarvis just moved into town. She's an American Sweetheart with a tough life and a bright smile. Tohru and friends seem to have taken a liking to her, but Kyou doesn't know what to make of her. Aurora's mysterious actions intrigue Kyou to take a deeper look into her world and possibly open his heart. Will he be in time to save her or will it already have been too late? Kyou/OC, **really little of Yuki/Tohru.**

Okay, so this is my third chapter to _Home is Where the Heart Lies_! Hurray! If you're a _**Yu Yu Hakusho fan or an Inuyasha fan**_, please take a look at my now completed stories. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to review and tell me them. Thanks everyone!

I'm a little disappointed that I only got 2 reviews. **_If I DON'T GET REVIEWS I'M NOT UPDATING _**because I don't even know if anyone is reading. Thank you.

Formation of the Story:

"talking"

'thinking'

Chapter 3: Brain Damage

Aurora saw Tohru, Hana, Uo, and Yuki eating lunch in the courtyard. She quickly applied some necessary makeup to cover some of the visible bruises on her face and re-adjusted her scarf. She made sure not to sit too close to any of them, she didn't want them notice the cuts on her face.

"Aurora, do you want to come over after school for dinner?" Yuki asked her, she felt her cheeks brighten in surprise. It was the first invitation she had ever received in her whole life. Her uncle would be away at his friend's house tonight, probably gambling away the last of the money her mother had sent her for the month.

"Uo and Hana would come, but Hana is babysitting and Uo has work." Tohru explained, opening her lunch box.

"Where is dinner going to be? Is it at your house or Yuki's?" Aurora became embarrassed when the three of them began to laugh. Uo kindly put her arm around her shoulders.

"Tohru, Yuki, and Kyou live in the same house." Uo stated still giggling, Aurora started to laugh. Now she realized why they all arrived and left school together. She wondered if they knew about Kyou's secret, not that she was going to mention it. _'How do you hide a secret so big? It's not like its everyday you meet a person who turns into a cat.'_ She thought curiously.

"So I guess I'll meet you after class?" Aurora pulled out an apple and bit into it. Tohru shook her head.

"I get out two hours earlier than you today and Yuki has student council so he won't be home until dinner, but I'm sure you can go with Kyou. He has class with you!" Tohru triumphantly smiled at Yuki, he stole a glance at her and blushed. Noticing the small exchange of we-are-a-couple-but-not-really-a-couple cuteness between Yuki and Tohru, the wheels in Aurora's mind started turning.

'_Love is in the air.'_ She thought, as she glanced between Tohru and Yuki, there was definitely something there. She nodded her head accepting the offer and continued to eat her juicy red apple.

"Kyou, can you please wait for Aurora after school today? She's coming to our house to eat dinner." Tohru decided to ask Kyou right after her class had ended, this way if he complained she could get right out of there. Not that she minded listening to him, but she really wanted to enjoy today and spend it among friends. She had to admit, he looked a little funny. It was like she had slapped him or something. "Kyou, are you okay?"

"Aurora is coming to our house? As in, she is going to be there?" A lump in his throat formed, he felt a mixture of nervousness and irritation.

"Yes, she is going to have dinner with us. I have to go to the market now. Thank you so much, Kyou. You're the best!" She ran past him to the front gate of the school and pulled out her grocery list.

Kyou blinked, he had never seen anyone move that fast before.

.. ..

Kuraki Dai, a rather large member of the Kendo Club, was hurriedly heading out of his classroom when he crashed right into Aurora. The collision caused her body to soar through the air and unpleasantly land on the hard floor, flat on her back, near a set of lockers. She opened her eyes, a little dazed, to see Kyou staring down at her. He grabbed her hand, lifting her easily and approached Dai who was brushing himself off looking annoyed.

"Why don't you watch where you're going next time?" Dai snarled, picking up his kendo sword.

"You have ten seconds to apologize before I knock you out." Kyou's body was ridged, his hands in tight fists. Dai and Kyou were about the same height; the only difference between the two was Dai's extra 150 pounds of fat, compared to Kyou's firm toned body.

"Kyou, please this isn't necessary. Its fine, I'm not hurt. See!" Aurora started to jump and dance around. Kyou gave her a strange glance. _'He must think I have brain damage or something.' _She sweat-dropped, observing the increasing tension between the two males. _'Did it suddenly get hot in here or is it the increase in testosterone?' _

"That is just _so_ sweet. Your girlfriend doesn't want the shit knocked out of you. I'd listen to her if I were you." Dai winked at Aurora and scratched his grossly big belly.

Fear, guilt, and repulsion of Dai overwhelmed her senses. If something happened to Kyou, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

Dai took a step closer to Aurora and stroked her cheek. "You are so hot." As his face came closer to hers, she heard a low growl from behind the massively large boy. Aurora then saw Dai cry out and land on the floor. Her heart stopped, she didn't even see what had happened. The only thing she was sure of was that Dai's fall broke the tiles.

"You should have listened to my warning." Kyou stood closer to her now; he grabbed her hand firmly and pulled her inside their next class.

Aurora wanted to thank Kyou for help her with Dai, but he had already sat at his desk and he did not look like he wanted company. She thought time was mocking her, it seemed like she had been in that class for hours, until Kami saved her and the bell rang. It was her favorite sound in the whole world, the ringing sound of freedom. Kyou hurriedly walked out of class, she quickly followed him, not knowing which way the Sohma house was. She glanced at the spot where Kyou had saved her, there were indeed broken tiles. He had been ready to fight a boy, simply because he didn't want to say sorry to her. That was so sweet in such a weird violent way.

……

Kyou had honestly felt the need to protect her. In a sense it was funny, considering the only time they had ever talked was when she found out he could transform into a cat. He couldn't explain it, when he saw her on the floor his body burned with rage and he didn't understand why. Why did she cause him to feel like this if he didn't even know her? He did think it was pretty funny when she starting hopping around like an idiot to stop the fight. They made it outside and began their walk to Kyou's house. He would need to think about this more, much more.

……

"Can I ask you something?" Aurora hoped she could get to know this intriguing man before her. He nodded cautiously and saw her take a deep breath. "Why do you turn into a… you-know-what?"

"When a girl hugs me I transform into a cat, it's a curse. Literally." She gave him a sad sympathetic smile. "Look, I don't need your pity." She averted her eyes, playing with her hands nervously. "Why are you in Japan if you're an American?" For some reason Kyou just thought of that.

"My father became very ill about six years ago. My mother was really strained because couldn't be there for the both of us. When she realized my father needed her more, she sent me to a bunch of different relatives in different countries. My father passed away last year and my mother has taken on several jobs to pay off the medical bills. She's never home and when she is, she is usually sleeping. She didn't think it was fair for me to see my father dying or to raise myself. I've been to France, Norway, England, Australia, Switzerland, Russia, Iceland, Romania, Italy, Ethiopia for a year, and I'm finishing high school here, no matter what." Aurora waited anxiously for Kyou response. His silence urged her to continue her story. "I live with my Uncle Seiji now. He used to be a business man, until his wife passed away. Now he doesn't do anything. I learned Japanese from my father. He used to live here when he was younger, but moved to the United States to go to college, that's how he met my mother. I've never made any real friends because I've moved around so much. So when I noticed how nice you all were, I was really grateful to have met you."

"You're life has been pretty crazy. I'm sorry about your dad. I know what it's like to loose your parents. My mother died when I was little. I was taken in by a relative when I was just a kid, he's like the dad I never had." Kyuo walked with his head held high, self-confidence radiating from him, and a determination that took Aurora's breath away. He didn't look sad or bothered by his hardships, but that was only his demeanor, she wondered what was really going on in the mind of Kyou Sohma.

...

I hope you like the third chapter! I'm really excited to start posting this story up. I would really appreciate it if you could please _**REVIEW**_! I would love to hear any suggestions or pointers. :-)

If anyone is interested, _**I finally completed my Yu Yu Hakusho story**_ and am going to be posting a _**Fushigi Yuuigi story this week**_ so stay in tune!

Thank you guys!!


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